Name it, and Trace Crane probably did it.
And the rest of the 3A/4A Intermountain League often could do little about it.
Whether using his height to post up offensively against the loop’s shorter, well, posts, or using his wingspan to make opposing shooters perhaps reconsider, or using his ball-handling skills to either break through enemies’ full-court pressure or help execute an offensive pattern, the versatile senior was effectively anything and everything Ignacio Boys’ Basketball needed in the 2025-26 season – and, after its conclusion, was rewarded with First Team All-IML distinction.
From all available statistics, Crane averaged roughly 14 points – with a single-game high of 28, achieved January 13 during a 62-39 home win over 2A Sargent – and ten rebounds per contest this winter, though the Bobcats went just 1-5 in February en route to ending up 2-10 in league play and 9-13 overall.
Also named First Team All-League were junior guard Trey Hall, senior guard Trace Hartsoe, junior forward Asher Bennetts and sophomore guard Ah-Dae Lang of circuit champ Montezuma-Cortez. One of the Intermountain’s highest-flying talents and plenty capable of taking over at either end of the court, Hall was also chosen as IML Player-of-the-Year.
M-CHS’ Michael Hall was named Coach-of-the-Year after guiding the Panthers to a 12-0 mark in regular-season IML action, and to a historic 25-1 overall finish after a 72-63 loss to Greeley-based University late Wednesday night, March 11, inside the Denver Coliseum during the CHSAA Class 4A State Tournament’s single-elimination Great Eight phase.
Montezuma-Cortez had been the 32-team tourney’s initial No. 2 seed, and had eliminated No. 31 Rifle (56 to 44) and Colorado Springs-based No. 18 The Classical Academy (52-50) before battling the tenth-seeded Bulldogs.
IML runner-up Pagosa Springs (11-12 overall, 8-4 league) was also in the mix but, as the 26-seed, exited early after losing 70-46 to 7-seed Eaton in the opening Round-of-32. Senior guard Creede Dozier and senior G/F Ty Richey were named First Team All-Intermountain.
Third-place Centauri (12-12, 6-6 IML) qualified for the 3A State Tournament as its No. 26 seed, but despite the effort of senior guard Carson Shawcroft, named First Team All-IML, promptly lost 64-39 at No. 7 Windsor Charter Academy.
Blown out by the same Firebirds in an early-season away test, Bayfield (14-10, 6-6) made the playoffs as 3A’s 21-seed but lost 81-67 to No. 12 Colorado Springs St. Mary’s out in neutral Peyton. Junior guard Hayes Malone netted nine three-pointers in racking up a game-high 33 points, and senior G/F Kingston Martinez sank two treys and totaled 11 points in the overtime heartbreaker, but both were named First Team All-IML.
Senior G/F Azariah Hurtado powered 3A Monte Vista (12-11, 5-7) also into the postseason, but the 24th-seeded Pirates ended up falling 72-44 to No. 9 Wiggins in a Round-of-32 game played in Carbondale at eighth-seeded Roaring Fork. And like Ignacio, a postseason berth wasn’t in the cards for 4A Alamosa (8-15, 3-9), which lost its last three games despite First Team senior guard Victor Zepeda’s contributions.
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-INTERMOUNTAIN, BOYS
Montezuma-Cortez – Wyatt Oliver, sr. F; Pagosa Springs – Jeremiah Jones, sr. F/C, and Duke Ketchum, jr. F; Centauri – Sean Jarvies, sr. G, and Keaden McGinnis, jr. G; Bayfield – Cameron Queen, jr. F/C; Monte Vista – Kelby Mondragon, sr. G.